


How the Friendship of Téa Gardner and Seto Kaiba Began and Ended

by LizzieHopscotch



Series: How Seto Kaiba Learned the Joys of Friendship [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chatting & Messaging, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Pre-Series, and yet not, not the characters though just me, what happens you try and avoid your responsibilities, where the hell did this come from
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 21:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieHopscotch/pseuds/LizzieHopscotch
Summary: Téa is partnered up with Kaiba for mop duty.





	How the Friendship of Téa Gardner and Seto Kaiba Began and Ended

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> I have never written for the Yu-Gi-Oh! fandom and I've never read any fics for it either. I am a bad person.  
> This began from me wanting Téa to have a life outside of Joey, Tristan and Yugi so I made her make friends with Kaiba. Because why not.  
> I hope its not too OOC but there will be a little I know.  
> Um. So. Yeah!  
> Enjoy!

_Monday_

It began with mop duty.

In all honesty, she hadn’t really expected him to show up for it, being the great _Seto Kaiba_ after all. It was a vaguely pleasant surprise then, to find him gathering a mop and bucket from the cupboard.

And then he opened his mouth.

“Hurry it up, will you? Some of us actually have important things to do,” he sneered.

“You and everyone else, Kaiba.” Téa muttered, grabbing her own mop and bucket.

This was going to be a long week.

“I heard that, and believe me. It isn’t true.”

A _very_ long week.

They mopped in silence each trying to stay out the way of each other. Which was fine with her really, he was such a jerk she didn’t _want_ to have to make small talk with him. And luckily for her, he seemed to be of the same opinion. Really, he was! Just that morning he’d insulted Joey no less than five times, for reasons ranging from his hair, existence and his gaming ability. The real problem was that to each insult Joey would react in a fit of temper which has resulted in Joey earning detentions. Maybe she can ask Kaiba to lay off a little? If this continues Joey’s permanent record will be completely wrecked.    

A glance over at him told her that would go over like a lead balloon. He was scowling at the floor as though it had personally offended him, which, when she thought about it, wasn’t that his default expression? Either way she wasn’t going near him.

When the bell finally rang and Téa gave a sigh of relief. She put her cleaning supplies away quickly, pointedly avoiding the other boy.

“Looks like you’re not that useless after all,” Kaiba drawled behind her, looking down her portion of the corridor.

“I think there was a compliment buried in there somewhere, but to be honest, I can’t be bothered to go looking for it,” Téa snapped back.

Being forced into an awkward silence for an hour did not bring out the best in her. To her surprise, he didn’t snark back, merely smiled and walked away.

“See you tomorrow,”

“See you?”

He was just so weird!

Later, when she told this story to Yugi on the walk home, he would ask if he wanted him to keep her company. She’d say no though, there was no way that Kaiba wouldn’t explode in anger before stalking away. All she had to do was make it through the rest of the week without smacking him with a mop.

_Tuesday_

It was raining.

God wasn’t that a cliché. A drab, rainy, Tuesday and all she wanted was a nice hot chocolate but no. She was once more stuck with Seto Kaiba. Oh joy, oh joy.

She was halfway through her work, promising herself she would break out the marshmallows, when the football team came through.

The _wet_ and _muddy_ football team.

Well there went the nice clean floor.

“Hey! You could have at least dried off first!” she called after them. They turned at looked back at her, laughing.

“Aw, I’m sorry,” said one, coming over to her. “Tell you what, I’ll make it to you,”

“Good,” she handed him the mop, “You can start by redoing the floor you just wrecked.”

The player let the mop fall through his hands, lifting her chin with his forefinger.

“Or you could come out with me. I promise to show you a good time,”

“Ugh!” she backed away from him. “As if! Get out of here if you’re not going to be helpful!”

He laughed and sauntered away, purposefully wringing out the bottom of his shirt as he went.

Arrogant jerk, she thought. No wonder no one went to their matches they were all useless prats!

“You sure showed them,”

“Please, like you are any better?”

“Hmph,” Kaiba snorted. His end of the corridor was just as filthy again, but he was just standing there watching her. “Well? Are we going to finish this?”

She picked the mop back up and began to clear the mud again, Kaiba working solidly alongside her.

“I’m surprised you didn’t snap at them,” Téa remarked quietly. “You seem to snap at everything else,”

“If by everything else you mean _Wheeler_ , then that’s an entirely different matter,” Kaiba replied. “Besides, the quicker we clear this, the quicker I can get out of here,”

“Right, you have _important_ things to do,”

“Exactly, so quit talking and start mopping!”

She didn’t say that she was _already mopping_ so really what was even the point of that?

Jerkface.

_Wednesday_

Téa was not cross. She wasn’t. She didn’t get cross she just got frustrated.

Like when Joey pulled Tristan into a pointless fight. Or when Tristan used the last of her milk, even though she just said _she didn’t have any more_. Or when Yugi put himself in dangerous situations. She may be all about supporting her friends no matter what but sometimes they made it very difficult.

The reason why Téa was so close to going on a murderous rampage armed with a mop and a hefty dose of just desserts could be traced back to that morning.

“Hey Téa, how’s mop duty been? Has it got any better?” Yugi asked innocently.

“Mop duty? Why would that be bad?” Joey interrupted. “I mean, apart from the boredom.”

“She’s been paired up with Kaiba for it, remember?”

“Kaiba?! That creep, has he been hassling you Téa? We’ll sort him out, right Tristan?”

“Right!”

“You don’t have to do that Joey, it’s been fine. We don’t really talk at all,” she assured them.

“What? He’s just ignoring you? That chump!”

“No Joey, its fine.”

“Yeah right! Hey! Kaiba! Why have you been rude to Téa?”

“Joey, he hasn’t been!”

Too late. Honestly if Joey would just listen for once this whole thing could have been avoided. Joey mouthed off at Kaiba, Kaiba insulted him back and soon they were belittling each other over something entirely unrelated to the trigger comment.

So, who does she need to murder for putting her in this situation?

 _All of them_.

Usually she wouldn’t go after Yugi, he was too precious and must be protected at all costs, but Joey and Tristan? They were fair game. Those idiots just couldn’t be bothered to listen. And then there was Kaiba who knew every button to push to get Joey to boil over. It was like a game to him.

So, Joey and Tristan were once more back in detention, Yugi was hanging around the library to wait for her, and she was mopping the corridor stuck in a foul mood.

Oh, screw it.

She told herself she wouldn’t do this, but she is. Too late, decision made.

“Just what is your problem with Joey?” she demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“Joey. Your problem with him. Explain.”

Kaiba smirked at her. “Why? So, you can give some epic speech about why he’s so brilliant?”

“Oh for. Look. I know Joey isn’t perfect and he can be a thoughtless moron sometimes, but you seem to hate him an unreasonable amount.”

“Define unreasonable,”

“Unreasonable as in insulting him for _breathing_. Seriously Kaiba! Enough is enough! You might have a future all laid out for you, but Joey is going to need a better permanent record than the one he’s going to have if you don’t lay off!”

“And will Wheeler be getting this talk?”

“Of course!”

For the fifth time, she didn’t add.

Kaiba’s smirk told her she didn’t have to.

“Well then?”

“He’s a _moron_.” Kaiba snapped before stopping, seeming surprised he’d answered her. “He acts as though he’s entitled to anything even though he’s never had to work for it, has no volume control and is an absolutely terrible duellist even you can beat him! It’s revolting,”

Téa couldn’t help it.

She giggled.

“What are you laughing at?”

“It’s just…is that _it?_ He’s loud and a terrible duellist? That’s what has had you putting him down all the time? And don’t think I didn’t notice you insulting me in that little tirade as well.”

“Is that not enough?” Kaiba asked gruffly.  “I’m surprised you even bother with him and his little friend, not after the way they treated your precious Yugi,”

“Yeah, I wasn’t too keen on them in the beginning either,” Téa admitted. “But Yugi insisted they were his friends and were good people so I decided to give them a chance. And yes, Joey is loud, and brash and a thousand other things, but look, Kaiba, friendship is more than that. I know that if I needed him, Joey would be there no questions asked. For every bad habit he has, there’s a lot more good ones. Why can’t you see that?”

“Just like you look at me and don’t see anything more than a rich jerk?” Kaiba responded.

She couldn’t answer. He was right after all. How many times had the four of them moaned about him? How many times had Joey and Tristan called him exactly that? When did she stop insisting that he should have a second chance? Did she even try in the first place? Probably not she admitted to herself.

“Oh please, I don’t want your pity.”

“Pity? I was only thinking that you’re right, Kaiba. I have been thinking of you that way. But it’s not like you act any other way!”

“You mean like how you’re nothing more than a constant cheerleader?”

She refused the bait.

“I happen to believe in sticking to your strengths, that’s all.”

She was startled by Kaiba chuckling.

She didn’t think she’d heard him do that before.

“Truce?” she offered tentatively.

“Fine, but make sure Wheeler sticks to it, Téa, else all bets are off,”

“Fine.”

Wait a minute.

“Y-y-you actually called me by _name?_ ”

“Shut up and let’s finish this. We’ve wasted enough time as it is,” he said gruffly.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought he might be blushing a little.

Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

_Thursday_

There was a small child looking at her.

Well. He wasn’t that small she guessed, but he definitely wasn’t in high school.

“Hi there,” she said.

“Hi! I’m looking for my brother!”

“Okay, well, maybe I can help,” she offered. “What’s his name?”

“Seto Kaiba!”

“Oh! You must be Mokuba!”

“You know my brother?” Mokuba asked cautiously.

“Sorta. I’ve heard him talk about you before though, you did well at the sports-day, right?”

“Seto talked about that?”

“Sure! He was really proud of you!”

It was true as well, in a Kaiba way anyway. Another of their classmates had a sibling in Mokuba’s school and was talking about it. Kaiba had walked in and told everyone how Mokuba had beaten the other guy’s sister ‘as befitting a Kaiba’. Téa decided that meant he was proud of Mokuba, wanted to share it, but didn’t know how to be nice about it.

Mokuba was beaming at hearing that his brother had shared his achievement.

“Come on, I know where he is, let’s go find him.”

“Okay! Thanks, Téa,”

“No problem,”

She led him through the school and past her classroom to the cleaning cupboard.

“My brother is in the cupboard?” Mokuba asked, confused.

“Nope! But he should be here for mop duty in 3…2…1…”

Kaiba turned the corner.

“Wow, great timing!”

“Mokuba? What are you doing here?”

“Seto!” He ran over to his brother and answered him eagerly. “Roland sent me. He said Johnson and Nezbitt wanted to see you right away!”

“Now?”

“That’s what Roland said,”

“I see.”

Téa watched as Kaiba sighed and pinched his nose. “Alright, Mokuba. Wait a minute, and I’ll go back with you.” He turned to Téa. “I apologise. It looks like I’ll have to leave early,”

“Is everything alright?”

“I’m sure it’s nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow,”

He turned and walked away.

Téa told herself she wasn’t disappointed.  

_Friday_

It was like Monday all over again.

She turned up for mop duty fully expecting to be completing it alone.

She was surprised when Kaiba was there already.

“What’s that look for?” he demanded.

“Nothing, I just wasn’t sure if you’d be here, not after yesterday.”

“Useless idiots, they could have managed without me,” he muttered.

“You think everyone’s an idiot,” Téa pointed out dryly.

“Well, you’re not wrong,” Kaiba smirked.

“Jerk.”

“Cheerleader.”

She kept an eye on him as they worked diligently. He seemed less grumpy than when the week started. The floor was no longer being glared into submission. She was almost surprised when they finished.

“Finished! No more mop duty!” Téa cheered. “So. Are we friends yet?”

“Friends?” Kaiba scoffed. “Don’t get too full of yourself,”

“Oh, please, we are totally friends now,”

“If I say yes, will you spare me any insipid friendship speeches?”

“It’s a deal!”

~*~

_An Indeterminate Amount of Time Later_

Téa stared at her phone contemplatively. She was bored. So, bored. Homework was done, chores were finished, shopping completed. She’d even made sure dinner was ready for her parents when they came back from work.

Usually when this happened she would head down to the arcade and dominate on the dancing platform there, but the arcade was shut for a refurbishment.

“Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooored!”

She flopped onto her bed and opened up her contacts list. Yugi was busy helping out his Grandpa, Joey was at his unofficial part time job and Tristan was…actually she didn’t know where Tristan was. She assumed he was with Joey as always.

Guess that left one person then.

It wasn’t exactly how she thought it would go, but hey, she wasn’t bored anymore. And now she had something to do!

She sent a quick text to Mokuba before she got the KC building, so he was there when she arrived.

“Hey Téa. What’ve you got there?” he asked, leading her over to a block of elevators.

“It’s a surprise. Something to make your brother a little less scowly.”

“He’s not been so bad lately,” Mokuba confessed. “It’s just the board of directors are demanding more and more, so he’s a bit stressed.”

“Well, I have just the cure for that!” she said, stepping out and into Kaiba’s office.

“Téa? What are you doing here?”

“Well someone told me you were being scowly and so I am fulfilling the friend duty of ice cream delivery,”

He stared at her.

“Are you serious.”

“Sure!” She reached into her bag. “Mint chocolate chip for you, strawberry for Mokuba, and caramel for me!”

She joined Mokuba on the sofa in front of his desk, the younger Kaiba digging in to his ice cream with no hesitation. Kaiba was still at his desk, staring at them.

“What’s wrong? It’s going to melt if you don’t eat it soon.”

“You…delivered ice cream to my office…because Mokuba said I was ‘scowly’?”

“Well scowly was my word, by Mokuba agreed.”

“You were big brother!”

Téa looked at him steadily.

“I’m your friend remember. This is what friends do. Now eat your ice cream, its melting.”

He grabbed the carton slowly as if he expected it to bite him.

“It’s good,” he muttered around his spoon.

~*~

They were hanging out at the Game Shop when Joey finally cracked. She was a little surprised it had taken this long but it had finally happened. She hadn’t been keeping her new friendship with Kaiba a secret, had been quite blunt about in fact. The others in turn had agreed that okay, they don’t like Kaiba that much but if Téa is sure about him then fine, they’ll turn down the insults.

 It had made for quieter school days that’s for sure.

She supposed it had helped that somewhere in the weeks after her impromptu ice cream delivery, Kaiba had graduated early from school. She’d messaged him about it when it happened, only to be told that he had to focus on KC now. She accepted it, but made sure to send him random messages throughout the day, just to remind him to take care of himself. He didn’t always respond right away, and when he did he usually sounded down right grouchy, but the response was there.

She’d just received a return message, her phone buzzing on the table while she drank some hot chocolate.

“I just don’t get it Téa, I just don’t.”

Oh boy.

“Get what, Joey?”

“Why you’re friends with that shmuck!” He snapped. “All he does is look down on everyone, insult us and is just-just. He’s _Kaiba_ ,”

“’He’s _Kaiba_ ’ isn’t an argument Joey. And I’m friends with him, because strangely enough, he’s a good person with a warped sense of humour who loves his brother. Just because you don’t get on with him, isn’t a reason for me not to.”

“I think what Joey means is that we’re just concerned you’re going to get hurt,” Yugi interrupted before Joey could get himself worked up again.

“Then if that happens, I know that I have other friends that will support me,” Téa replied.

“Right! Of course!” Yugi agreed. He wasn’t too certain of Kaiba and was still worried that it was some kind of elaborate scheme but he knew that was really likely. But still…Kaiba was so cold and arrogant and Téa is, well, _Téa_. They’re completely different!

“Yeah well, don’t come crying to me when it happens.” Joey snapped.

“Fine. I won’t.”

~*~

It was a Saturday and Saturdays were for dancing. They had been for years and so when her phone started buzzing in the middle of her routine she was annoyed. Dammit those boys knew better than to message her before 3, and if it was a real emergency they would call.

Oh.

Wait a moment.

 _Kaiba_?

The message was one of the longest he’d ever sent her, even when he was ranting about how difficult it was to find one specific card. She’d promised to keep an eye out though.

_Téa, sorry to bother you. Something has happened at KC and Mokuba can’t be here. Can you please come and take him somewhere?_

Huh. That doesn’t sound good. As far as she knew, Mokuba was allowed wherever he wanted in the company, and was welcomed in fact. For Kaiba to not want Mokuba around then something serious must be happening.

She quickly texted back an affirmative before changing back into street clothes and making her way to the building that dominated the Domino City skyline. It was nearly an hour before she reached it, and when she did it was to find Mokuba sitting dejectedly on the steps.

“Hey Mokuba! Ready to have fun?”

“Hey Téa.” He walked towards her, shoulders slumped, eyes flicking towards the tower every few steps.

“So, what do you want to do today? I hear the arcade has a new capsule monsters machine,”

“Cool,” Mokuba scuffed the pavement as they walked.

Okay that was it. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She wasn’t stupid, she knew Kaiba was trusting her with a lot asking her to take care of his brother. She also knew that since the two of them were usually separated by school and work during the week, they spent their Saturdays together. So, for Kaiba so send Mokuba away, Mokuba must be worried.

“He’ll be alright,” Téa said lightly. “I’m sure before long he’ll send a text and we’ll head back okay. Maybe even get some ice cream!”

“Yeah, you’re right!” Mokuba agreed.

“Okay. To the arcade!”

“The arcade!”

By the time they got there, Mokuba was smiling properly again and Téa was relieved. Honestly, she spent so much time taking care of her three boys, and now she had two more! She needed more girlfriends.

Pfffft as if she’d change anything.

~*~

Kaiba had found that rare card he’d been ranting about.  

All he’d had to do was bully, intimidate and harm Yugi’s grandpa.

Téa couldn’t be anything other than angry. He’d betrayed their friendship! When he’d asked about the rare card Grandpa Muto had, she’d told him she didn’t know what it was, but he was welcome to tag along.

And then he’d-he’d!

God, she was so angry with him.

She sat in the ambulance with Grandpa, willing him better. She knew Yugi had stayed behind to duel Kaiba, and normally she’d be right there with him, cheering him on, but she just couldn’t do it. She couldn’t watch them duel each other.

Even though she was angry with Kaiba, she still called him her friend. And she believed in supporting her friends no matter what was happening but what should she do when her friends are fighting each other? Who should she be there for? Especially when they get along so poorly on their own!

Enough!

Focus on Grandpa Muto, hold his hand. This she can do.

Tristan’s phone beeped.

Joey.

“Kaiba lost. Yugi summoned Exodia, and that was the end,”

“Yugi…I knew he could do it…” Grandpa murmured behind his mask.

“That’s right Grandpa Muto,” Téa said. “We all believe in him.”

Kaiba must be devastated. She doesn’t think he’s ever lost at anything before.

In the aftermath Joey begins learning the Duel Monsters game in true earnest, her victories over him becoming few and far between. Yugi watched in concern. He knew Téa was good at this game, he’d taught her the rules and helped to build her deck himself. She just…wasn’t paying attention. He was good enough not to call attention to it, but he knew the girl must be worried about Kaiba. He didn’t begrudge her that worry, they were both too dedicated to their friends for him to even contemplate such a thing.

~*~

He wasn’t on the island.

But Mokuba was.

She held onto his small body as he explained everything that had happened. He was so afraid and so upset, the only way he knew to fix this was to lash out at Yugi.

And then Kemo came.

Kemo and his devastating news.

Kaiba was dead.

Mokuba shuddered in her arms, sobbing and denying it with all of his being. She wished she could make it better, wish it away, _anything_ but she couldn’t. She could only stand helpless as Kemo wrenched Mokuba away from her, watch as Yugi duelled against Kaiba’s ghost.

Then the Blue Eyes crumbled and she could breathe again.

He was alive.

Then Kemo and Mokuba were gone.

“I trusted you to take care of him,” Kaiba says when he sees her.

“I’m so sorry,” she says.

It’s all she can say.

~*~

She was helpless again and she cursed herself for it. She could only stand there and watch as her two friends once more battled each other, and this time she couldn’t look away. There was no other emergency that could require her attention, only the holographic drama unfolding before her.

Neither were acting like themselves.

Each of them were so close to rescuing loved ones, so desperate to get there that they had discarded all else. She looked at Kaiba and saw no trace of the person she’d shared ice cream with, had sent stupid cat photos, had seen smile. She looked at Yugi and saw no trace of her gentle friend, all of it burned away by the fire of combat.

God this was so stupid, it’s a _card game_ for crying out loud. But she’d seen old men collapse, flame throwers used in intimidation, children held hostage for no reason than for someone else’s personal gain.

It was perhaps the most serious card game she’d ever encountered.

Then Kaiba stepped onto the parapet.

“Seto, no!” she gasped.

It was the first time she’d said his first name out loud. He’d been _Kaiba_ for so long the sound felt strange in her throat.

Yugi called for his Celtic Guardian to attack.

No.

_No._

She was running before she knew her feet were moving. Calling out to Yugi, begging him to stop, stay his hand, oh god, please don’t kill her friend.  

“He spared you! Kaiba, he showed you _compassion_ , which is more than you deserve!”

“He lost the game,”

“The game? Yugi may have lost one lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn’t lost his heart, not like _you_ , Seto Kaiba! You’ve spent so much time with your machines you’ve forgotten what being human is all about. Yugi has a heart, Kaiba, Yugi has _us_. Friends that will stand with him to the end, no matter if he loses some lousy game. What do you have Seto Kaiba? What do you have at the end of the day? Tell me! _Tell me!_ ”

 _I thought I had you_ , remains unspoken.

“I have all that I need! Stand by that pathetic loser if you want to, Téa, I’m done with this and I’m done with _you_.”

Their friendship ended on a castle roof.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Let me know!
> 
> Much hugs
> 
> LizzieHopscotch


End file.
